"FORMER SATANIST WARNS CHRISTIANS ABOUT CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN" - CBN News, 10-20-2018; http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/october/former-satanist-warns-christians-about-celebrating-halloween [AS I SEE IT: This article - and the one that follows - argues for Christians to avoid any celebration of Halloween. While some might say it's just a matter of opinion on which it's alright for Christians to difffer - I am particularly concerned about the note of curses being passed on down generatioins for participating in recognizing this day in any way. Yes, it is a way to reach out to others with the gospel, but is it kind of like a Christian marrying a non-Christian in the hopes of reaching that person for Christ? Maybe the comparison is not accurate, but I find myself very concerned of what the consequences might be in noting this cultural holiday. I'm not being critical of Christians who do different things on Halloween but I for one will continue to keep my porch light off and hope to find another way to reach out to the children of my neighborhood. For instance, wouldn't simply putting more of an emphasis on Easter and Christmas in our neighborhood instead be an option? Just a thought. - Stan]
According to a CBN News Facebook poll, 87% of believers feel that Christians should not celebrate Halloween, while 13% believe it's okay.
Former Satanist John Ramirez recently joined Charlene Aaron on CBN News' Prayer Link to talk about Christians and Halloween. "I was a general to the kingdom of darkness in witchcraft," Ramirez said. "I would sit with the Devil and talk to him like I'm talking to you today. It was that kind of communication. It was that kind of relationship."
Ramirez warns Halloween isn't just about costumes and candy – there's a much darker reality.
"Sometimes people say, 'I celebrated Halloween 10 years ago, I did this 15 years ago, I did this 20 years ago.' But the door's still open. You just cursed your family from three to four generations," Ramirez told CBN News. "You have to be aware it's a curse. You have to go back to the place where you started, that year that you started that Halloween thing, the celebration when you started having that encounter with the dark side. You have to go back to that same spot and renounce and renounce it in the name of Jesus Christ and ask God to forgive you for that so that God can have mercy and close that door so your whole family can move forward," he continued.
Ramirez, now a pastor, knows all about the dark reality of Halloween. He once sacrificed animals as part of satanic rituals and his friends even knew him as "Lucifer's son."
Now as a born again believer, he strongly warns Christians against celebrating Halloween and participating in harvest festivals. "The only harvest we should celebrate is the harvest of souls," he adds.
Ramirez says that in his opinion the other events Christians hold instead of Halloween, such as "Trunk or Treat" nights, are really no different. "Do you know any Satanists who say, 'Hey, we're going to come into Good Friday and we're going to hang out with the Christians and we're just going to call it a different name?"
However, Pastor Alan Rudnick believes that Christians should take back Halloween.
"Halloween is often associated with the pagan concept of Samhain, the festival where ancient pagans believed that the worlds of the living and dead would have been thinly divided," he writes on his blog. "But, we have seen from the other ancient pagan festivals associated with Christmas and Easter that these pagan connections do not serve as a reason why we cannot celebrate a Christian holiday."
According to the website Equipping Godly Women, Halloween can be a good opportunity for outreach and to teach about good vs. evil.
However, Anton LaVey, the late founder of the Church of Satan, once said he took joy in believers taking part in the tradition. "I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year," he said. "Welcome to Halloween."
[italics and colored emhasis mine]
[***Originally published October 28, 2017.]
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"PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT: THE DARK REALITY OF HALLOWEEN"- Talia Wise, 10-29-2017; http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/october/paganism-and-witchcraft-the-dark-reality-of-halloween-nbsp
Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday in America grossing $8 billion in sales.
Some parents will dress up their children in costumes ranging from princesses to goblins and go trick-or-treating. However, many do not realize there's a darker reality to this celebration and it is steeped in paganism and witchcraft.
Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve, originated in the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, which means "end of summer." According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes and many people believed that ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies, and demons roamed the earth. So, in order to protect their families and livestock during the coming dark winter months, the Celts invoked the help of their gods with animal sacrifices.
However, the holiday took a different turn when Christians arrived on the scene and began celebrating All Soul's Day. All Soul's Day was a time when Christians would commemorate and pray for the souls of believers who had died. In the Western Christian practice, the celebration began at a prayer service on the evening of October 31 and ended November 2. During this time, the poor would visit the houses of wealthier families to receive little pastries called "soul cakes" in exchange for a promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. Eventually, the festivities evolved into people dressing up and singing songs in exchange for treats.
CBN News' Charlene Aaron interviewed former Satanist John Ramirez, who warned that Christians should have nothing to do with practicing pagan customs. "Halloween is the most diabolical demonic holiday," he said. He explains Christians should not be deceived when celebrating Halloween alternatives.
"Why would you pick a day...October 31st and then you're going to call it 'harvest'? You going to dress people up. You going to bring candy. What is the difference between that and Halloween?," he asked.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
PRAYER MATTERS:
"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan
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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
Praying for North Korea - For the last 17 years, North Korea has been #1 on the World
Watch List as the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. Yet the North Korean church, an estimated 300,000 members strong, continues to persevere. Throughout October, join us we pray for and encourage our persecuted family living in the face of oppression.
Watch List as the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. Yet the North Korean church, an estimated 300,000 members strong, continues to persevere. Throughout October, join us we pray for and encourage our persecuted family living in the face of oppression.
October 29 | MALDIVES - Pray for secret believers, asking God to continue to fix their eyes
on Him amidst the current political chaos in the country. Ask God to guide His church to develop effective discipleship.
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
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